Draft-gear for railway-cars.



W. R. MATTHEWS. DRAFT GEAR FOE RAILWAY UARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.22,1907.

00 1 Wm 1B 1B 4 am m Me n m P atkmnug W. R, MATTHEWS.

DRAFT em FDR RAILWAY ens.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1807.

Patented M129, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. R. MATTHEWS. DRAFT GEAR FOR RAILWAY (JARS.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 110V. 22.1907.

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

vwantot 3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

from excessive lateral strains.

UNITED STATES PATENT Ol l l (1h).

WILLIAM R. MA'LTHEWS, ()l" PITTSBURLI', PENNSYLVANIA, ASSlGNUlt lt) U119i\'l1:( t)l l\\"i\i' 6i 'ltJltLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. A(.(JHPOItAllON Ol llENNhYl.-

VANIA.

DRAFT-GEAR FOB: RAILWAY onus.

Application filed November 22, 1907. Serial No. 403,298.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, WILLIAM R. liIAT Times, a citizen of the UnitedStates, 'residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDraft-Gear for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it nppertains to make and usethe same.

M invention relates to the construction of (raft appliances for railwaycars, and more particularly to that class of draft gear or draft riggingwhich is designed to permit an extended latcrql movement of the curcoupler.

By means of a few elements of simple form, I am enabled to produce anefficient and durable draft ,g cnr which permits cars to pass aroundvery sharp curves and relieves the our platform and car framing The construction and arrangement of the several parts of the draft gear aresuch that the car coupler always tends to assume a central position.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointedout in the claims, Fi ure 1 is a plan view of a dcrice emho ying myinvention, a portion of the our platform and car underfraining beingalso shown; Fig. 2 is also a plunview of the parts shown in Fig. 1, butillustrating the draft. gear in a. laterally displaced position; Fig. 3is a vertical central section of the clevicct as illustrated in Fig. 1,parts of the coupler and eqluulizcr stein, however, being shown in sidee evution; and Fig. 4. is an end elevution of the car platform, showingthe relation of the coupler to the devices for supporting the forwurdend of the draft. appliances; and also showing the prcferred means forunlocking the coupler to permit cars to be uncoupled.

Like symbols refer; to like parts wherever occur.

the I will now proceed to describe my inven- 'shtlnk or drafhstem B.ntt-ached to the rear end of the coupler Silt-Lilli in any nninnor whichwill permit the draft Eqn'ings l), .l) to he compressed in butling, isn-yolie or sprin ppocliet (l which is of suhstnntiully the someconstruction as those now in com mon use. A simple and satisfactory modeof connectinr. the coupler shank B and yoke is illustrated in thedrawings, from which it will be seen that. the bolt 1", which conlincsthe yoke U to the coupler shunlt B, passes through an elongated slot 2"formed in the rear end of the coupler shank. Such a construction allowsthe coupler-shank and yoke to have the relntive longitudinal move:- mentnecessary to compress the springs when u bufling operation occurs.

Housed within the yoke C are draft, springs D, I). If desired a singlespring may be employed, but it is preferred to use two springs arrangedin aline'ment, with a follower 2" inter osed between them. The forwardspring i is interposed between :1 forward follower 1 and n rear follower2*, while the rear spring D hours at one end upon said follower and atthe other end is seated upon the rear end of the yoke or springocket C.

The orwnrd follower 1., which normally abuts the rec r and of thecoupler shank P is restrained from forward movement by means of atail-bolt E, which is pivotnlly attached at, its rear end to the carframing through the intermedincy of a pivot bolt 1' and abutment castingF. The tail bolt E passes through the rear end of the yoke G, throughthe followers 2 and 1 and longitudinnlly through the springs I), I), andis provided at its forward end with a nut, which, by engagement with thefollower l", transmits to the tail bolt E the draft strains induced by nforwnrd movement of the yoke -or sprin -pockct 0.

l ic ahutmeht member F, which may be scoured to the car framing in anysuitable manner, is preferably formed with horizontnlly extending pivotlugs 2 and 3 bc tween which the enlarged end 1 0f the tailbolt isinterposed. This construction is fillvuntngeous, as the lugs 2' and 3thus support and vertically confine the rear end of the draft rigging,and the pivot bolt 1' is thus put in double shear.

G is an equalizer member which is so constructed and combined with thenssociated parts of the draft gear as to constantly lulul to muinmin theear cou Jlor in the lougiuuliunl uxis of the cur. The equalizer memberii; lllYDLlllly ottoehod to the our plutlonu or our framing end to thecoupler shunl; ll mid. yoke 3 in a manner which will permit, it to havea. relative longitudinal movement with respeot to said coupler shunkuurl yoke. For this per 056 it is 71'2- ferred to form the rear end ofmember G with a slot 1* through which the ivot pin 1" vouneoling thecoupler shank '5 nntl yoke 0 passes. The slot 1 is self llcientiy lungto let the boil; 1 move freely forward when Lilo coupler subjected to udrnl'! niruin, and in order that ouch a mu tivo lon; .;il1uliunlmovement of the perils may 050111, the upper nu-L ol the coupler shank Bis muintuined in SPiiCQd relation with the yoke U by means of u lug orbridge well 3* formed, on the ram: end of soul coupler shank us will bereadily understood by inference to Fig. 3.

The forward, end of the equalizer mom her (3- is preferably attached tothe. car framing by :1 single pivotal connection. ljmthin purpoew. averticully extending cir euhuhose 2* in Ionized LUOII the forward end of'suii'l equalizer mom er, solid hoss fitting into a circular socketformed in the lllllllfiiRlClfl of a pivot casting 11 which is so curedto the end sill of the our platform in the longitudinal of the car. Thepivot boss 2 13 held in 1proper position by means of :1 bolt 1', whic 1,as shown, preferably provided with an annular shouhler that permits Lhenut to be screwed tight without causing the said boss to bind in itssocket. A construction such as described ell'orcls u very strong anddurable pivotal oonueetion for the forward end of the equulizer'memherG, but it is to be iuicierstood that other forms of ivotol connectionmay be employed if celled,

J is e chafing iron which is attached to the our framing. It is madesufficiently long to e'rmit the equalizer member G to swing rmliellyfrom sule to side without interieronce. its function is to act as a stopto prevent the coupler from striking the equal moi bin".

As a means for supporting the front end of: the limit "our as thecoupler moves to one side or he other of the center 01' the our, usupporting rail K is provided Each end of ilus su Jportin; rail, whichis preferably on angle-iron hut extends substantiallv parallel in theouter end of the cur plellorui, isholtod orothormse attaehecl to thelower pant of one of the stop castings L. The stop costings; L, whichserve to limit the lateral displacement of he zroupler A in eitherdirection from the center of the cm, are mwurod lo the under sule of theour platform and extend downwaruly therelfruu.

the equa izer i forward in the slot 1 of the her G, whiohis thus notsubjected to any rear and of the yoke.

voile C doeunot contact the ebntmqnfi cast- Journuled in ouch of (hestop castings L is u grooved roller M around which passes the llexiblouueou iling i'neuiller N by whieh the i-nuplur look I brought to anunlocked PUFiltlUll. In the drawings the flexible uneouyling member N,which is preferehly u eluun, is represented b a (lot and dash line. Theflexible member is attached at one end to the coupler lock 0, passesfrom thence around one of the grooved. rollers M, then through a slot oreye formed in the lower end of u verticull movublc uncoupling bur P,then around he other grooved roller M,':uu.l, liuully, is nttaehvd atits other end to lhe coupler shank B. The vel'lieully movable uncouplingbur 1 is mounted to reciprocate in u guide member Q, which is attachedto the our platform! cllwetl of the flexible member ll which extends between the two grooved rollers The guide ousting Q, is provided with :1downwardly opening chamber through which the oileoupling bur P noses,said chamber huvin flaring side, will 5 which permit the chain to bereadily drown upwurrl by Che bur P.

By means of the coupler release rigging just described the coupler maybe unlocked. when in any position, it being only necessar in order tobrin the lock 0 to an unloo ted position, to will u' wurdly upon thehandle of the uncoupling 13.! P. It will be understood that when thecoupler moves luterully as the our to which it is attached around acurve, the flexible HD6011)- iug member N moves freely around thegrooved rollers, M and throu 'h the eye et the ottom of the uncouplingliar, P, thus accommodating itself to the various positions of the con10]; When the coupler is subjected to a draftwhich is attached to theabutment member l" that is secured to the ear framing, prevents saidfollower I from moving fornmrdl, During such on operation, the bolt 1moves equalizer 1: romstrain.

When a boiling foroe is applied to the coupler the forward follower 1elm-ls t m rear and of the coupler is forced reurwardly, thus eompressinthe springs D, D betweeusaid follower an the ALsthe rear and o'ftliewhich shank B,

above that porl ion ing' F, the pressure of the springs D, D islaronsuuittecl from the yoke C to the equalizer. membor'G, and throughthe latter to the Gal framing. During tli' buffing operation the Ianforward end of the tail-bolt E enters the opening formed in the rear endof the cou ler shank B. W hen the coupler is displaced from it; normalposition 1n the center of the car, as is the case when the car passesaround a curve, the equalizer member G is also necessarilyv displaced,turning upon its pivotal connection with the pivot casting ll a center.his displacement of the equalizer member acting through the connectingbolt 1, causes the yoke C to move away from the abutment casting F, andthe springs I), D are consequently compressed in the manner heretoforedescribed. Upon the withdrawal of the force causing the cou ler todepart from its normal position in t e center of the car, it is evidentthat the springs I), I) will ex and until they are again of normallength. Throughout this expansion the equalizer member G is sub jected,at its point of connection with the yoke C, to a irlling force whichacts in the direction of ength of the tail bolt E. As the equalizermember is inextensible and is pivotally attached to the car at itsforward end, it is evident that durin this expansion the other parts ofthe drai' t gear are con strained to return to the normal position inthe center of the car, since in such position the tail-bolt E is inalinement with the equalizer member G and the forces acting upon eachhave no lateral components.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters latent is:

1. In a draft gear, the combination with a coupler which is providedwith means where the body of a car, of means for cushioning draft andbutting forces applied to said coupler, and an equalizer member whichconstantly tends to maintain the coupler in the longitudinal axis of thecar, said equalizer member and coupler being relatively movy it may bepivotally connected to able in butting.

2. in a draft gear. the combination with a coupler, of means forcushioning draft and bufling forces, and an equalizer device whichconstantly tends to maintain the coupler in the longitudinal axis of theour, said coupler and equalizer device being pivotally connected andbeing relatively movable longitudinally both in draft and butiiug.

I In a draft gear, the combination with a coupler which is provided withmeans whereby it may be pivotally connected to the body of a car in ayielding manner, of an equalizer device which is provided with meanswhcrchy it may be attached to a fixed portion of the car so as to rotatewithout accompan ing translation, said equalizer being pivotal yconnected o the coupler.

-l. In a draft gear, the mmbination with a coupler which is providedwith means whereby it may be pivotally connected to the bodv of a car ina yielding manner, of an equalizer device which is attached to androtates without translation about a fixed portion of the car and isconnected with the coupler.

.3. In a draft gear, the combination with a coupler which is providedwith means whereby it may be pivotally connected, to the body of a carin a yielding manner, of an equalizer member which is movable laterallywith said coupler about a fixed portion of the car as a center, saidcoupler and e ualizer member being connected so that t ieir point ofattachment is maintained at a constant distance from the center ofmovement of the equalizer member during the lateral movement of theparts.

6. In a draft gear, the combination with a coupler which is providedwith means whereby it may be pivotally connected to the body of a car ina yielding manner, of an equalizer member which is movable laterallywith said coupler about a fixed portion of the car as a center, saidcoupler and said equalizer member being also relatively movablelongitudinally.

T. In a. draft gear, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke springwithin said yoke, a tail-bolt which is provided with means whereby itmay be pivolally attached to the car body, a follower by which thepressure of the s ring is transmitted to the tail -bolt, arid anequalizer member which is onnected. with connected thereto, a t

said con ler said e ualizer beiu m'bvable laterally with said couplerabout a fixed portion of the car as a center, and said coupler andequalizer being relatively movablejlongitudinally.

8. In a draft gear, the combination with a coupler, of a yoke, meansoperating through said yolrc for pivotally conncctin said coupler to thebody of a car in :Ayiel ing manner, an equalizer member w in testnnouvwhereof I affix my signature, in presen e of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM R. MATTHEWS.

W itnesses FRANK J. Bownnv, F. D Ecunn.

ich 1S! provuled with means whereby it may be

